Skip to content
John Muir Laws
  • Home
  • Store
  • Events
    • Events with JML
    • Schedule an Event
    • Wild Wonder Conference 2022
    • Nature Journal Club Community Calendar
  • Nature Journaling
    • Nature Journaling: Get started and grow!
    • Find (or start) a Nature Journal Club Near You!
    • Find a Nature Journaling Teacher Near You
    • Nature Journal Connection
    • Wild Wonder Conference 2022
    • Sketchbook
    • Supplies & Equipment
    • Teen Corner
    • Solstice and Equinox Journal
  • How to Draw
    • Recent Lessons
    • Tutorial Archive
    • How to Draw Birds
    • How to Draw Mammals
    • How to Draw Plants
  • 4 Teachers
    • Teacher Resources Overview
    • Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Teachers Conference
    • Free Nature Journaling Curriculum
    • Nature Journal Connection
    • Free Crosscutting Concept Poster Set
    • Find a Nature Journal Teacher Near You
    • Sun Shadows: exploring the solstice and equinox
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Schedule an Event
    • Biography
    • Resume-CV
    • Sketchbook-Portfolio
    • Newsroom and Media
      • Newsletter Archive
      • Media
      • Editorials
      • The Curious Sketchbook Podcast
      • Reviews- The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling
      • Reviews-The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds
      • Reviews-The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada
      • Reviews-Sierra Birds: A Hiker’s Guide
    • Photo Gallery
  • Donate

Category: Drawing Insects

Tips, tricks, and techniques to help you observe and draw insects.

Watercolor Hour with Rosalie Haizlett

Watercolor Hour with Rosalie Haizlett

In this special Nature Journal Club workshop, our guest Rosalie Haizlett shares some of her favorite methods and tricks in watercolor and more, as well as a few of the major roadblocks that beginners face when it comes to watercolor, and how to move beyond them with confidence. Rosalie Haizlett is a recent author who Read More

Please share if you like it!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • More
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Print
Drawing Butterflies and Rare Birds

Drawing Butterflies and Rare Birds

In this “Ask Jack” session, we learn how to draw butterflies and rare birds, starting with blocking them in, and gradually adding details and notes so as not to get overwhelmed. Read More

Please share if you like it!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • More
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Print
How to Draw Bugs

How to Draw Bugs

Let’s draw bugs! John Muir Laws explores drawing bugs from angles that convey their liveliness. This workshop was part of the live Ask Jack series, where participants request and choose the topic of the day. Read More

Please share if you like it!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • More
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Print
How to draw Cast Shadows (video)

How to draw Cast Shadows (video)

Cast shadows are different than object shadows. Here are a few concepts and strategies to help you draw shadows on the ground or cast across other objects. Learn to make bug shadows and shadows beneath found objects in your nature journal. Read More

Please share if you like it!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • More
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Print
How to Draw a Shiny Beetle (video)

How to Draw a Shiny Beetle (video)

Carolyn found a shiny water beetle near our house. When I painted it I got a rather dull looking drawing. In this video, I rework the sketch to make it look glossy. The trick is punching up the contrast. Please excuse problems with the sound sync on this video. I was able to correct most Read More

Please share if you like it!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • More
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Print

Spider anatomy for artists

Fall is here and it is time to draw spiders. In this season female spiders have reached their full size and are ready to mate. Their webs are easily seen in the morning dew. Understanding how the body is put together will help you draw what you see with greater ease. As in insects, the body Read More

Please share if you like it!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • More
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Print

How to draw a dragonfly: Flame Skimmer

Learn how to draw the transparent wings of a dragonfly in this step-by-step demonstration. Drawing glossy transparent wings is challenging. By using this bag of tricks you will be able to suggest transparency in your drawings. Here are points to consider. Lines should be lighter when seen through the transparent membrane. Use less detail on Read More

Please share if you like it!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • More
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Print

Drawing foreshortened insects: Seven-spotted Ladybug

Learn how to draw a foreshortened ladybug in a step-by-step demonstration. Drawing insects from the top view is useful for identification but may lack dynamic interest. Three quarter views of insects show the height and form in ways you can not show from above. Visualizing the way that straight lines wrap around rounded forms is Read More

Please share if you like it!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • More
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Print

How do straight lines curve on a rounded surface?

Straight lines appear to curve on a rounded surface. Practice seeing and drawing these lines will greatly improve your ability to draw what you see. Print out the latitude and longitude lines in the figure at the right. Trace over these lines about ten times then draw them free hand. As you trace, do not just Read More

Please share if you like it!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • More
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Print

How to Draw Insects (video workshop)

Insects are a delight to study and observe. Learn the basics of insect illustration in this video workshop. This workshop introduces you to the basics of how to draw insects including anatomy, the most common mistakes made by artists drawing insects, the eight most common orders of insects, and details to watch for as you Read More

Please share if you like it!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • More
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Print
Posts navigation
Older posts →

VIDEO PASS AVAILABLE NOW W/ACCESS THRU APRIL 2023!

Join our Journal Safari, February 12-25th, 2023

Join Me in Greece- June 17-24,2023

Donate to Support My Work

Loading…

Thank you donors!

  1. Ruth Longenecker

  2. Wanya Korn

  3. Sonya Yeager-Meeks

  4. Rick Ramos

  5. HEATHER STEARNS

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Get my Monthly Newsletter

loader

Recent Blog Post Index

  • Africa Series: Giraffe
  • Africa Series: Artiodactyla
  • Constructing Mammal Heads
  • Happy Little Trees
  • Africa Series: One Toe or Two?

Upcoming Events

Jan 31
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm PST Recurring Event

Curious Naturalist Book Club

Feb 1
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm PST Recurring Event

Nature Journal Educator’s Forum

Feb 2
10:00 am - 11:30 am PST Recurring Event

Africa Series: Comparative Cats

Feb 7
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm PST Recurring Event

Curious Naturalist Book Club

Feb 8
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm PST Recurring Event

Nature Journal Educator’s Forum

View Calendar

Search Site

Login to Your Account
© John Muir Laws 2017
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
 

Loading Comments...